The first-year animal studies student from Maitland, Florida, was the very first customer of the John R. Saunders Dining Center at Eckerd College—the new main cafeteria for campus food services.
Minutes before Eva helped herself to salad and other treats, faculty, staff and students gathered outside the building underneath a canopy of bubbles to witness the grand opening.
“This facility represents not only a significant investment in our campus infrastructure, but also–and more importantly–a potent symbol of the College’s commitment to continually enhancing the campus life experience of our students and all campus constituencies,” President Jim Annarelli said in his opening remarks.
Annarelli acknowledged the “village” of people required to bring a project of this magnitude to completion including the Eckerd College Board of Trustees; Jerry Sparkman, Ram Vankat and Kevin Tenor of Sweet Sparkman Architects; Bryan Turnage, Jim Drake, and Walker Bean of Hennessey Construction; Eckerd planning and construction staff Peter Fritsche, Shawn Wilson, and Jamey Handorf; and Shondalette Randolph and Jason Hall, manager and project manager of Bon Appétit.